Pakistan Blocks Routes to Islamabad Ahead of Planned PTI March

DID Press: Pakistani authorities have blocked several major roads, highways and bridges leading to Islamabad as supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party prepared for a planned march toward the capital.

Authorities closed or restricted several key routes, including sections of the M-1 Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway, M-14, E-35 Hazara Motorway and the Grand Trunk Road, citing law-and-order and security concerns. Shipping containers and other barriers have also been deployed at major entry points to the capital.

The PTI had originally planned a long march for September 27, with supporters seeking the release of Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.

However, on September 25, PTI announced that the march had been postponed until October 4. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the march would begin from Peshawar on that date.

The security measures have disrupted transport between Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab. Pakistani authorities have cited public-order concerns, while PTI has described the restrictions as measures aimed at preventing its supporters from reaching the capital.